


Alone Again, Forever

by AightImmaHeadOut



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, When You Write On Your Skin It Appears On Your Soulmate's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27134158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AightImmaHeadOut/pseuds/AightImmaHeadOut
Summary: The one where whatever you write on your skin goes on your soulmate's skin too.
Relationships: Mello | Mihael Keehl/Near | Nate River
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	Alone Again, Forever

**Author's Note:**

> For Kanby.

A day with or without soulmates was the same to Near.

The rule was stated "The soulmate you share will have the same marking on them if you write/draw on yourself at any giving time".

It was a stupid rule, and Near had seen people he knew waste decades of their lives trying to find the one for them. It a sad sight, because a boy named Mello was obsessed with finding his special person. Honestly? Near was tired of people running up to him at Wammys screaming 'I just found my soulmate!' or 'Do you think the new girl that came in today is my soulmate?' or 'Let me see your wrist to see if you're my soulmate' and then _forcefully_ _pulling_ _up his sleeve without consent_ and then running of to go without any goodbye. It was the little things that get to Near. 

So that's why Near was quite cold to a girl named Linda when she walked to him and started staring. However, he must give her credit for surprising him by just starting a normal conversation, one that would exist only if soulmates didn't exist. It took a while, but she was able to break down his defensive walls, and within two months, they were inseparable. So much so, that they decided to run away together shortly after Matt, who ran after Mello. Managing to access a car from an old junkyard, they left Wammys in the dust. No more successors, no more pressure, no more anything. 

That's what he thought at least. When Kira came into existence, Near had decided to put together a team of SPK members to work with him. Linda stuck around too, and the boy had made her promise _three_ times to never, ever, do anything rash anymore. In fact, Near had arranged that she must not leave the building in fear of Kira seeing her face. Linda was annoyed of course, but she always did her part to protect her 'little brother' much to Near's annoyance. 

It was one day when Linda told him that she wanted to talk to him. It was a tiring day, and Near had much to do, but the look on Linda's face said it all. This was important.

_"I found my soulmate."_

Immediately, like any normal person, Near wanted to know who, and was about to go into the many precautions that this person can be Kira, but Linda beat him to it first.

"It's Sayu."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The words had been etched in his mind ever since then. Linda had explained that she had found out purely by accident, when she had told Sayu that she liked her to draw. She had let her draw a simple, but beautiful flower on her wrist, something that Sayu greatly appreciated. Linda had been in the bathroom when she found out, the exact same flower that she had sketched on her skin.

Near had been told that the girl immediately told her first name, and that was it, so she believed that Sayu was her last name. Linda didn't give anything away, even after she found out. Linda had promised to be extra careful around her, but still continued to see her. Even Near couldn't convince her not to continue seeing her soulmate.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shortly after Mello faked his death, he visited himself. 

Even Mello had been surprised to see Linda there. Linda had been just as shocked. Even Near keeps things from her. 

Mello had scowled, as he saw the obvious connection between his enemy and the girl. He was unaware why he was so annoyed with this development. Perhaps it was because his greatest rival and an annoying girl he'd met at his orphanage were close. But shouldn't be happy that Near must be feeling his discomfort as well? Why was he so irritated by seeing her standing protectively in front of a person he hates? 

Mello whips out his gun, shouting Near's name. He knows this doesn't make sense, because the albino isn't the one he's mad at. He _doesn't_ know who he's mad at, and it pisses him off because Near has found his soulmate before him. Who else could she be? Why else would a man and a woman live in the same building?

Near is a robot, and robots cannot love. Mello should've found his soulmate before him, and he shouldn't be mad that Near found his soulmate and he's not. It's not even the fact that Near found his soulmate _before_ him, it's that Near has a soulmate and he shouldn't because, because _he_ is the only one who understands Near.

Only him. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Near sighs loudly.

The fact that Mello got mad at him before he even said anything was...new. So that was why Near was surprised when Mello had called him the following week telling him his plans to kidnap Takada. Near was uneasy after that phone call. He hadn't told Mello _not_ to do it, it was just- maybe he didn't want the blonde to be purposely putting himself into danger. 

_All for the investigation._

So Near made the decision to make another phone call to him and Matt, telling him what he thought about his plans.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Mello asked gruffly.

If Near had been listening more carefully, he would've heard a hint of worry there too. But Linda was listening in as well, and she definitely heard it. She smirked to herself. 

"I am fine. I just wanted to talk to you. Linda, you may go off the line now."

As the line clicked, Mello had said bitterly,

"What, is she your bodyguard now?" 

Near sighed saying "No, Mello. It's just a precaution. If Kira was on the other end, it's good to have a second listener. That way if I die, the SPK will be notified immediately."

"Don't talk like that."

"...I'm sorry?"

"I said, don't _fucking_ talk like that, Near. There's no point in trying to catch Kira if your just gonna die."

"...Why does it matter? If I die, you would be able to find Kira and become L's successor. It's all just a game."

"What the fuck, Near?! I don't _want_ you to die! Your life is not a game!"

"No, but it is a waste of time."

"Huh...?"

Near scowled at Mello's arrogance a unawareness.

"The work of L is not all sunshine an rainbows, Mello. You get lonely. You get frustrated. You get no help. Everything is on you. It's just a constant block of pressure and anxiety of not being able to solve the next case. You must do everything on your own. Please remember that the SPK is only for Kira. Once that's done, I assume they will find other jobs. Gevanni's already looking for other places to work. Hell, even Linda has began dating her soulmate, who might I mention is the sister of who Kira _could_ be!"

Near's frustrations were starting to spill, erupt out of him like a gushing volcano. One's that Linda couldn't even hear. 

"This is why I must beat you. To keep you from being L. To keep you from feeling like _shit_ all the time. You're lucky to have Matt to tell everything with. I actually find you quite selfish or not protecting him in the first place."

"Do you think that-"

" _No_ , Mello. For years I've let you talk, and talk, and talk, I think it's about time to let you know what I really think about your brainless plans."

Mello silence was a ticket for Near to continue, who was quickly letting all of his emotions from years ago turn into anger.

"Did it occur to you that Kiyomi Takada could have the Shinigami eyes? Perhaps she has a piece of the Death Note with her! What if you kill Matt with all of her useless bodyguards? You're stupid, Mello, and you will never be better then me. You just cause chaos wherever you go, putting your life in danger. Your hate for me is fucking irritating, since when have I done anything to hurt you? I'm telling you this Mello, if you knew what being L was like, _you_ would want to die too."

Mello interrupted here.

"Near...you want to die?"

"..."

Near hesitated at this point, finally noticing that Mello had seen the _human_ side of him. His finger were tangled in his hair, the pain only becoming clear to him now. Tears had unconsciously welled up on the tips of his eyelids. He didn't want Mello to be worried about him, because he already knew he had enough on his plate. Near does not want to _not_ live. He just wants someone to live with. 

Perhaps he's the same as all the people he looked down on. 

Near heard Mello sigh on the other end, a sign that he was thinking deeply about his next words. It was a habit that stuck with him even in adulthood. 

"Near."

"Yes, Mello?"

"I...want to try something."

Near's brows furrowed. What on Earth did he want to try that was so important? The boy felt something tingle on his left wrist, and immediately looked down to check the slight wetness. 

His heart swelled. 

On his white skin, ink of a black marker was swirling on his wrist, forming into something. It had been the first time in 18 years that he'd ever seen something on his pale skin. People called him broken, incomplete, empty and he had been okay with it until now. The letter was bold and consisted of many thick lines, each one wispy, like L's letter. The beautiful ink was forming into the letter M and it made Near's tears fall down his face. 

Mello was his soulmate. It had always been him.

"Mello...!"

"I have to go now."

"No! You-you can't."

"I promise I won't die. You'll wait for me, right?"

"U-uh-huh. B-But Mello!"

"I'm sorry, Near. We'll have to continue this after."

"Mel-"

The line went dead. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As Near watched the building go up in flames, he felt Linda put his arms around him. It was supposed to be a comforting motion. 

Quickly shoving it off, he went into his room. 

Mello's letter was slightly faded. 

Picking up his own marker, Near drew his own letter in fancy font on his right wrist. 

He didn't care if Kira could find him this way. He had every right to be careless, just like Mello is. Was. 

For some reason, Near felt like he wanted others to know that Mello was his alone. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Near's heart hurt. 

It hurt a lot. He felt like he was going to explode into a puddle of emotions, seeping through the cracks in the wood. Linda had tried to talk to him, to comfort him, but Near continued to push her away. After all, what could she do? She was naïve and stupid and there was no way she could understand his feelings. Hell, _he_ couldn't understand his feelings, and neither could Mello even though they were soulmates. Mello always thought that Near had hated him, but he was wrong. Very wrong, and it made the boy furious to even think about.

Only Mello would understand that he slightly blamed Linda for his death.

It was _wrong_ and Near knew it, yet he couldn't stop being extra irritated when she was around. The worst part was, all he knew was that he wanted someone to blame, and his brain chose his closest, amazing friend because she was the only one he _knew_. He hated himself, and his hate was beginning to spiral out of control, burning the SPK members, burning his dear Linda. 

But Lidner had had enough. She was used to Near's cool and calm demeanor, but what she wasn't used to was her boss throwing them around like they were rag dolls. 

"You can't act like _this_ , anymore," she had said one day. 

Near narrowed his eyes from behind his hair. "Get back to work." 

"No, I won't. Not until I get a bit of self-respect around here."

"And you have it. Get back to work."

"No, I don't," the woman said, putting a her hand on her hip. "You've been acting extra careless just because you can. It's annoying. Do you want to get us all killed?"

Near put a finger up to his hair, still facing away from his collogue. "And what if I said your deaths are crucial to this investigation?" 

The whole SPK's eyes widened at that. They began to acknowledge what he was trying to tell them: He was better. He will always be, and they must keep their heads down while he pulled at their string's." 

But Lidner had snapped. Turning around, she picked up her purse and belongings, and mumbled "Maybe he'd still be alive if you were better at your job."

Near turned around and flung a dart at her head, missing her by an inch. 

Lidner froze, as it bounced off the wall behind her and clattered to the floor. She knew at once that she had overstepped a boundary, one that she never should've come close to in the first place. The SPK gaped. Linda's eyes filled with tears. 

Near stood quietly, his aura radiating with wrath. Shaking slightly, he turned around to the hundreds of screens. 

"You're all dismissed."

The rest of the adults looked at each other and back at Near, his face illuminating eerily from the dim light. Moving quickly, they quickly staggered to the door, still in shock and closed the door behind them. Near looked around, looking at all the empty spaces, and realized that he was not yet alone. He could feel Linda standing behind him and looking at him pleadingly. 

"You too, Linda. I don't need you anymore."

Hearing quick footsteps going towards the doorway, the door creaked closed again. 

They didn't matter anymore. He could do this investigation by himself. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Near picked up his L mask and looked at himself in the mirror.

He looked hideous, he knew it, but why would it matter? No one would be at his side anyway. Mr. Yagami would be surprised to see him alone. This way, it would be easy to for Kira to kill him, and when his death became known, it would be an unmistakable fact: Light Yagami is Kira. Near sighed. This was probably the stupidest decision he ever made in his 18 years of living. It was a young age to die, but who cares? Mello died at 20, and Matt died at 19.

He missed them, but he also missed the support from the SPK, and especially Linda. He regretted pushing them away, but at the same time, he was happy he put them out of danger. He was happy being selfless for once, instead of treating everything like it was a game of chess.

Near looked around the SPK headquarters for, perhaps the last time. It was cleaned and dusted neatly, something he had down himself. For some reason, it made him uncomfortable to be leaving it the way he normally would. His robots were sitting all in a straight line on a shelf, his dice put neatly in a plastic box, and his white puzzle was sitting in the very center of a table. The only thing he'd bring were his finger puppets. The idea that they would keep him company when he died comforted him a little. 

Luckily, he was 100% sure that the SPK wouldn't come back to the headquarters until a week after today. Near was sure that it would only take a few hours to figure out where his body was, or perhaps it would never be found since a person's actions can be controlled before they die. However, he had no doubt that Linda would find the recordings he left of the phone call with 'L' and soon come to investigate the warehouse, where they would find traces of hair, skin cells, and hopefully their bodies.

Near sighed. He wasn't used to doing these sorts of things alone.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sitting in the warehouse alone had an eerie feeling to it.

Crouched in L's position, Near listened to the dripping of sewage water dropping over and over again. He watched the fan in front of him creak as if it was on it's last days. He had got there 2 hours before the time that the Task Force and him were supposed to meet. He always had a habit of getting there a few hours early because it comforted him to get to know his environment better then his opponent. Usually, the SPK would be there to help notice the thing he couldn't. Perhaps Gevanni would notice the rust on the pipes, or the Rester would notice the peeling walls.

But he could only assume. 

At last, the Task Force walked in the warehouse. 

Near watched closely at Light Yagami's face, and he could've of sworn Light his eyes widened in surprise, which turned into a a slight smirk, and quickly turned into his normal serious expression. Near smirked. This was definitely Kira. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The door creaked open, revealing an eye that quickly disappeared. 

Matsuda screamed, and took out his gun in a panic, but Near's voice was the anchor that calmed them down.

"Please do not move" he yelled over the chaos. "It's okay. We will not die. I have modified the notebook."

Light called out to the second Kira to tell him to come in. The door opened and revealed a man with long black hair, and crazy red eyes. Near noted how strange it was how he listened to Light right away, as if he was in charge of him. 

"Who knows?" Light said with a shrug. "Maybe he's just confident." 

Looking back at Mikami, he asks "How many seconds has it been since you wrote the first name?"

The man looked back at his watch almost immediately, excitement sparkling in his eyes. 

"25 seconds...26 seconds...27 seconds..." his eyes grew wider with each second.

"28 seconds...29 seconds...30..." his smile was spreading into something happier.

"31...32...33...34...35...36...37..." Near took a deep breath and held it there. People were too focused on Mikami anyway. 

"38...39..."

"I win, Near." 

"40!"

And then there was silence. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When the relief of not being dead passed over he Task Force (and Near himself) he explained how he himself had copied the notebook (in replacement of Gevanni. Near thinks he would do much better then he did). He have credit to all of the SPK and Mello, even mentioning a friend that worked for him in the shadows. Near began to talk to Ryuk, the Shinigami and asked him his question. Yes, a Death Note still had it's power when it was torn out. That would explain how Mello died. 

Mikami had been apprehended by Mogi and Aizawa (Near noticed it had been quite amateurish. His longing for the SPK started to grow.) Light had began to finally lose it, backing up against the wall when one of the Task Force members tried to put handcuffs on his wrist. But the biggest evidence of his lost sanity was clear to everyone when he began to laugh. 

"That's right...I am Kira."

  
Near's usual expression stayed in place, but on the inside, he wanted to jump for joy, to cry and scream and yell at Light that he had killed Mello. He wanted to so bad to look over his shoulder and smile at the SPK and his childhood friend, but he knew inside his heart that they were still unaware that he was gone to confront him in the first place. 

Light paced around the room in a steady rhythm. He mentioned how the Death Note in front him _could_ be fake and _could_ be real. Near couldn't help his eyes narrowing. Was he bluffing?

"And also," Light continued "You're alone. You don't have any backup. For all we know, you could just be someone _sent_ by Near, who's currently watching in the shadows. How do we know?"

The Task Force looked around the room and then at him suspiciously. Near could feel their trust for him slipping away. The men looked at him pleadingly, begging him to say something. However, Near couldn't. He had nothing to say. 

"However, the only way you can prove you _are_ Near is to write my or Mikami's name in the notebook. That'll prove that you're serious." Light said with an easy smile on his lips.

Near's eyes narrowed. He wouldn't do that. Suicide? No, it would just make Kira happy. This was no the way to solve this. Mello would strangle him in the afterlife. No, he wouldn't even go there. 

"That way you can find out if the notebook is real..." Light turned to the wall again. "Or _fake!_ "

Near gasped quietly. Light pulled out a pen and was writing in a scrap of the Death Note, hidden strategically in his wristwatch.

Of _course._ Light had made them suspicious of Near on purpose, so they would look at _him instead of Light_. It was buying him the second he needed to write his name in the Death Note. Their heads whipped behind them, and they immediately started to fumble with their guns to try to stop him. Matsuda reached it first, but in his hurry, he dropped it on the ground. 

Near closed his eyes, his life flashing of the happy memories. This was it. He was going to die the same way Mello had. In chaos, with a scrap of paper, with a heart attack. 

He knew from the beginning that he would never be able to do this investigation on his own. He wasn't independent Mello, for he was only Near, a co-dependent, stupid detective.

Oh, how he wished that he hadn't sent the SPK away. Linda could've been here to comfort him, to distract Light in one of the ways that made her special. Maybe the Task Force's attention would be on Light instead of him if someone were with him. He wished he had found out Mello was his soulmate sooner. 

Perhaps they could've gotten married, started a family. 

He wanted to see them all _one_ last time. 

BAM. BAM.

Near's eyes flew open. A bullet had shot Light's right hand, stopping him, the other hitting just above his knee. The Task Force looked just as surprised as he did. 

"It-it wasn't me!" Matsuda stuttered when Aizawa looked at him. "It c-came from up...there."

The shaken man pointed up to the roof, where there were many holes from it's age. He was right, though. A sniper was sitting on the hazardous roof, their hood pulled up and a mask covering their face. 

"Now!" the sniper yelled, and Near identified that he was a male due to the slight lowness of his voice. 

Near's eyes widened. He knew that voice. He _knew that voice_.

The only door to the warehouse slid open in an instant. Five people stood at the doorway, all wearing hazmat masks and four carrying snipers. Two of them charged over to apprehend Light Yagami, while the other two, the one not carrying a gun ran over to Near, and stood in front of him, almost protectively. The detective looked at their backs in confusion, racking his brain for any allies on his side, one with exactly six members. Maybe-maybe they were part of the police. But how on earth did they know about the meeting? That was only way you could find out was unlock the recorded phone call he made with Light a while ago that only the SPK could unlock. 

_That only the SPK could unlock._

And who were the other two? The police? A trusted friend? People at Wammys? No, all of those people couldn't be accessed on such short notice. Who the hell were they? 

The one carrying a gun to his right spoke. 

"Kira, it's over."

Near was looking up at the two like they were his guardian angels. Light was now handcuffed and on the floor, his usual professional appearance ruined by his identity. He was rolling across the floor desperately, shouting about Misa, Takada.

"Who the hell even are they!? Near, you cheating bastard! You said-you said that you didn't have back-up!" Light screamed.

The one to his left spoke in his place. 

"He never said that. In fact, you were the one telling him he should of had back-up to prove he was Near." 

That told Near they were watching for a while, but damn it. Their voices were too muffled to identify. Only the sniper had a cloth mask instead of the hazmat one, and he still couldn't guess it. 

"What?! You-you! Damn it!" Light was on his back now. "Ryuk, help me! Kill them!" 

The Task Force began to panic again, taking out their guns, but the one of the apprehenders spoke up. 

"The last time I checked," he said "The Shinigami was never on a side to begin with."

Ryuk cackled. "Of course, Light. I was only here for the show." He took out his own notebook and pen. "And now that you ask me for help means that you have no other ideas."

Matsuda was horrified. "Y-your just gonna kill him?"

Ryuk stopped writing for a second to look at him. "Of course. I told him that I would be the one to kill him at the very, very beginning." he looked back down again, the pen scratched against the paper. "Besides if you go to jail, Light, who knows how long you'll live?"

One of the people who apprehended Light unclasped his handcuffs. Near understood. If he was goin to die in a few seconds, he would want to be free too. Besides, he had already been shot by the sniper, who had shot him so precisely: just barely missing a vital place in his arm and yet enough to make him scream in pain. There was no way he would be go anywhere with those wounds. 

Light looked at everyone desperately, as if they would help the greatest mass murderer in the world. He gasped, and he cried breathlessly, screaming,

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" 

The Task Force looked away. Light was so young, but so were the people he killed. Near watches closely. 

"Damn it..." are his last words, as dies with his eyes open. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mogi helps take Mikami in the car. The criminal's head hangs. Aizawa pulls Near back.

"Hey, will you be okay here? They seem dangerous."

Near has no idea _if_ they're even dangerous. He hasn't even seen their faces yet. But of course, Aizawa doesn't know that. He just doesn't want him to die when they leave. 

"I will be fine. Don't worry Mr. Aizawa, this was part of my plan." he lies.

"Ah, I see. Clever bunch you got there." Aizawa winks, and goes his car. 

Near watches as the Task Force drives away, and turns around warily, just in time to see the sniper make his way down the roof. Near feels the puppets in his shirt. He looks at six hazmat faces, and 1 masked one. He sighs. There's only one thing to do.

"Well, if you excuse me." Near walks away as quickly as he can. 

What? Running is a perfectly professional thing to do in this situation.

One of the hazmat mask groan. One of the other ones makes a 'tch' sound. 'Make fun of me all you want,' he thinks. 'Your all scary...'. 

"Near."

The voice makes him freeze, because it's perfectly clear and no longer muffled. He hears the others take their masks, and drop them to the ground with a slight thud. He turns around slowly, so slowly, because he's scared. Scared of who the mystery people are. Scared of getting his freakin hopes up, because he always manages to screw up at the wrong times. Like when Mello didn't want to work at him. Like when he died catching Kira _right after_ he found out they were soulmates. Like when he secretly hoped the SPK would forgive within 24 hours and come to save him. Like when he finally catches Kira, the cause of all these problems only for Ryuk to _kill_ him and erase all off his hard work, and all of the pain that came with it. 

Near stops halfway. He just can't do it. He'd rather them remain a mystery, a thing that just sits in the back of your mind. For fuck's sake, everyone he ever cared about is gone anyway, why should he care? 

Suddenly, someone spins him around and slaps him in the face. Hard. So hard, in fact, that his vision blurs, and he feels dizzy from the impact. 

" _That's_ for saying your life's a waste of time." 

The man hits again, this time sending his face facing to the right.

" _That's_ for going in that warehouse by yourself and not bothering to ask us for help. You think you're a hero, or something?"

Another one, and Near feels that he is _damn near_ on the verge of passing out, but this man is not letting up. 

"And _that's_ for _accepting_ your death, and being so incredibly stupid that you really think I would get myself killed right after we found out that- aw godammit Near, I am so close to slapping you right now."

"Dude, just _show him._ Obviously that big brain of his is too in shock to even look up at you." said one of them, Near guesses it's the sniper. 

The slapper walks back to his group says in a voice soft, so soft, that you would never guess this was the person who slapped him multiple times. 

"Near, it's us. We're alive."

Near looks up, and his hopes have reached their peak. His emotions want to soar because _they're all there_ , alive and breathing and warm, and, and, and. 

The slapper pulls up his sleeve to see a faded 'N' that he made so long ago. He wants to cry. He wants them to carry him home as he cries like when he gets plagued with nightmares of Kira and his old family. He's scared that if he touches them, they'll turn into wisps and disappear into the sky because his mind _always_ does this. Always plays tricks on him and he avoids them until it forces his head to look at them. They open their arms, lovingly, like a phantom. 

_But he doesn't care if they_ _aren't_ _real._

"Come on, Near."

Near runs to them.

_He wants to touch them._

He stumbles, and keeps on running. 

_You can do it._

Only ten more steps. 

_Mello, Matt, Linda..._

Five...four...

_Lidner, Rester, Gevanni..._

I love you.

_I love you._

And he's in all of their arms. He shivers, sniffs. A stinging sensation is in his eyes, and he trembles because he knows the signs.

"Go ahead. Let it out." Lidner says, a comforting hand on his back. 

Near sobs, and sobs. He clings to their clothing, and buries his face into someone's chest. He feels so relieved as he thinks of all his hardships he got to see them all alive. They murmur soft things like 'it's okay' and 'we're here' and 'shhhh.' and he likes it.

Perhaps emotions are fine once in a while.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Mello walks with Matt on his way to the SPK place, his hood up. He was quite excited to see Near again. It would be the first time he saw him after their phone call._

_He walks with a bit of bounce in his step, as he makes his way up to the SPK headquarters. The first thing he notices outside of Near's room was that he heard sobbing coming from inside. Taking a quick glance at Matt before barging in, they immediately see Linda sobbing on the floor. The SPK are there as well, one looking notably guiltier then the rest._

_They look surprised to see him, and they shouldn't. They should have saw them on the screens. Why were the screens turned off?_

_"Where is he? What the hell happened?" Mello says._

_Linda's face and eyes were red and tear strained._

_"Near...he-he..."_

_"He went to confront Kira." Rester finishes for her._

_Matt's mouth dropped. "W-what?"_

_"He even cleaned the place up." Lidner said. "All he left was this note." she couldn't even look at the boys._

_Grabbing it from her hands, only one line is scripted in his perfect handwriting._

_'_ _The phone call recording with Light Yagami will open up 24 hours from now.'_

_Mello scrunched it up in an instant. "Damn him..."_

_He understood perfectly. Near had gone off to sacrifice himself just like he and Matt had. Except they didn't. He was alive, breathing. Was he that important to Near that he was willing to give up his life for the investigation, just like he had?_

_"Bullshit. We're getting him back. Alive." he said irritably._

_Linda looked up at them._

_"But...we don't even know how long it's been since he left."  
_

_Matt turned on the screens._

_"The phone call isn't unlockable yet," he said. "And the screens are cooler, but they haven't been shut off for a long time. I can probably hack into the program to make it open up."_

_"Good job, Matt. Where the hell are your guns?" he turned to the SPK._

_Gevanni eyes widened, but quickly turned serious again. "This way. All of you, come get your guns!" the others ran out of the room, but Mello quickly stopped when he saw Linda still staring at the floor. Kneeling next to her, he spoke._

_"What, you don't even want to help him?"_

_"No! It's just...we had a fight when you died... or when you faked it...again"_

_Huh. "About what?"_

_Linda proceeded to explain the events of that day, and how her bad feelings kept her up at night. Mello couldn't help being a little irritated towards Lidner for saying that bullshit. She obviously didn't know about their last conversation._

_"But Linda, that wasn't your fault. She completely crossed over a line."_

_A sob escaped her throat again. "B-but, he said he didn't need me!"_

_"He was angry, Linda. And frustrated. And lonely...and he had no help."_

_Linda looked into his eyes. "How-" she hiccupped "on Earth would you knew that?"_

_Mello averted her gaze and sighed. He did_ not _want to open up right now, but there was no way Linda would survive Kira like this._

_"He told me. It was right before I kidnaped Takada, remember? You were on the line."_

_Linda's eyes widened. "You? He told YOU all those things?"_

_"Yup."_

_Her expression turned from surprised to depressed._

_"He didn't even...I didn't notice. He never told me."_

_"Don't beat yourself up. I didn't know, and I want to be L. I drew something on my arm, and he said it was on his skin too."  
_

_Mello could basically see the information processing in her brain. "EHHH??" she screamed._

_The blonde put a hand over her mouth, his face turning a bright shade of crimson._

_"You-you didn't know?! Damn him! I thought he told you everything!"  
_

_"No!_ I _tell him everything! He always so- Argh!"_

 _Standing up in a rush, Mello held out his hand._ _"Come on. We'll both slap him for being an idiot."_

_Linda's face broke into a small smile as she took it._

_She looked like Linda again._

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Linda continued to see Sayu, who was told that her brother died a hero. Today was their first official date. 

"Don't do anything stupid." Near told her, buttoning up the back of her dress.

"I _know._ AHHHHH! WHO'S GONNA PROPOSE? DO YOU TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE HAND? OR WOULD IT BE BETTER A SURPRISE?" 

Near rolled his eyes. Ever since Sayu asked her out, Linda has been a bundle of nerves. Her nerves included shouting in the middle of random events, about things that wouldn't happen for at _least_ a few months. 

"Obviously," Matt pops his head in. "The one who tops more in se-OW! MELLO!" 

Mello had smacked his head with a nearby fly swatter, and was pulling him out of the room. 

"Don't listen to him, Linda. He's an idiot. Just enjoy it. It probably won't be your last." 

"Yeah! And then I'll go out drinking so Mello and Near can finally have-FUCK! JESUS CHIRIST, MELLO."

Near's face reddened. Fuck. Why on earth was Matt always talking about sex?

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP." Mello was now chasing Matt around with the fly swatter, and Matt was screaming so loud it shattered everyone's ear drums. They all were in silence when they heard the doorbell. 

"She's here!" the girl squeaked. 

"Well, open the door then." Near says softly. 

Linda did as she was told, putting on her heels in the process. Sayu was standing there, wearing her own beautiful dress, looking mature as usual and a fond smile on her face. 

"Hi Linda. Ready to go?" she said, holding out her hand. Her lacy shawl blew in the slight breeze. 

Linda nodded like an idiot and took it shakily. She almost tripped on the way down the steps.

"I'm gonna get going too," Mat said grabbing his jacket. "I'll be back at 7:00!" he said pointedly. 

The door closed and it was just the two soulmates, ones that held so much pain from their past and will continue to do so in the future. But together. 

Mello scratched the back of his head. "Soo...about what Matt said...?" 

" _No._ "

"Why not?!"

"I refuse to have sex until we get our own place."

"Whatever, turning you on isn't that hard."

"...I am very close to banning you from kisses." 

"You would never."

"You're right. You're irresistible. And annoying."

"I know I am. And shut up."

"Make me." 

"Naw, I'd rather make you louder."

"Make me."

Mello dragged him to the bedroom, making Near giggle. 

Yup. They may suffer together, but they always stick by each other. Because they're soulmates, and in the end, that's just what you do. 

**Author's Note:**

> YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I FOUND A LOOPHOLE. I CAN FINALLY POST MY WORKS. however, i won't be posting as frequently, cause I can only write for a few set hours a day. I'M ALIIIIIVE. THANK YOU MY PEEPS. 
> 
> I almost started crying when i saw all of your comments. Things aren't completely fine yet, but time heals all wounds right? In other words, I may disappear for a while again, but I still want to write! When I lose ALL motivation, I'll tell you. BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE YET! I feel like such a troll... but anywho, this is my apology- a really long fanfic! this took like two weeks. still getting used to the schedule lol. I WILL GIVE IT MY ALL FOR YOUUUUU.
> 
> Time to Kudos all of the stuff I missed! And let me know if you have any requests!


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